Germany's Union Investment adds to hospitality team

To support the ongoing expansion of its hotel portfolio, Frankfurt, Germany-based Union Investment Real Estate GmbH has added Christoph Eichbaum to its roster of hospitality specialists.

As part of the now eight-strong investment management hospitality team headed by Andreas Löcher, Eichbaum will be responsible for hotel transactions in the Austria, Germany and Switzerland region (also known as the DACH region), a key focus for the Union Investment portfolio with a current total of 46 hotels worth €3.8 billion.

A real estate economist and business studies graduate, Eichbaum previously spent eight years at Ernst & Young Real Estate GmbH, most recently as a director. In this role, he primarily advised investors and operators on national and international hotel transactions at both single asset and portfolio level. His core duties included selecting operators and conducting feasibility studies on all types of hotel projects.

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“With his knowledge gained from advising clients in this area, Christoph Eichbaum is an excellent addition to our team,” said Löcher. “We are looking forward to working with him to expand our portfolio in the DACH region.”

As a hotel investor, Union Investment's portfolio in Europe and the United States currently comprises 70 properties with a total value of around €5.6 billion. Among the most recent transactions in the DACH region are the acquisition of a portfolio developed by Benchmark Real Estate that includes hotels in Dresden, Oberhausen, Eschborn and Freiburg, and the acquisition of a development by UBM, comprising a Holiday Inn and a Super 8 hotel at Berliner Tor in Hamburg.